The Fire Flow Improvement Program was initiated in 1997 to improve the firefighting capability and seismic reliability of our water system. The program is funded by an annual $75 parcel fee paid by property owners in MMWD's service area. With the support of local fire officials, in 2012 the MMWD Board of Directors approved extending the original 15-year program for another 19 years (through 2031). The current program will replace 52 miles of pipelines with larger pipelines that can carry greater volumes of water and construct seismic improvements.

The Fire Flow Improvement Program was initiated in 1997 to improve the firefighting capability and seismic reliability of our water system. The program is funded by an annual $75 parcel fee paid by property owners in MMWD's service area. With the support of local fire officials, in 2012 the MMWD Board of Directors approved extending the original 15-year program for another 19 years (through 2031). The current program will replace 52 miles of pipelines with larger pipelines that can carry greater volumes of water and construct seismic improvements.

In the early 1990s a series of catastrophic events – the Loma Prieta earthquake, the Oakland Hills Fire (which destroyed 3,000 homes), and the Mount Vision fire in West Marin (which destroyed 12,000 acres) – caused a broad coalition of community leaders, including MMWD, the County of Marin, and local fire agencies, to evaluate ways to improve the firefighting capability of the district’s water system. This effort resulted in development of the district’s Fire Flow Master Plan (FFMP) in January 1996, which identified a wide range of capital projects needed to improve the water system’s firefighting capabilities. A year later, in 1997, the district adopted a 15-year program to implement the FFMP, funded by an annual $75 fire flow fee paid by property owners in MMWD’s service area.

From 1997 through June 30, 2016, the program has supported the investment of more than $96.6 million in fire flow and seismic-related improvements and the replacement of more than 82 miles of pipe throughout the district’s 147-square-mile service area.

MMWD celebrated its centennial in 2012, which is an exciting milestone, but it also means that there are many older pipelines in our system that were originally sized to meet domestic needs. It takes less water to meet domestic needs compared to fire-fighting needs. Even today, the smaller mains are often adequate for domestic supply; however, the district takes fire flow into consideration and consults with the local fire agency when new and replacement pipelines are being designed.

Inflationary impacts on construction costs eroded the district’s ability to complete all of the projects identified in the original FFMP. This was not unexpected – the original FFMP did not account for inflation. When funding for the original FFMP ended in 2012, there were approximately $18.2 million in seismic retrofit and pipeline replacement projects not completed. In addition, there are many needed fire flow improvements throughout our 147-square-mile service area that were not included in the original FFMP.

Based on their experience, local fire agencies identified areas of low fire flows. District staff used hydraulic modeling software to confirm the fire agencies’ findings and identified additional locations with low volume flows. That knowledge was shared with the local fire agencies, resulting in the final list of proposed projects, amounting to a $64 million program. An escalator for inflation is also included in the program, whereas the original FFMP did not have a provision for inflation.

Fire moves swiftly, so a fire that starts in one neighborhood can quickly jump to another. Having adequate fire flows throughout the entire service area provides better protection for all neighborhoods and a greater ability to control a fire as quickly as possible. The new program also includes seismic reliability improvements to the “backbone” water transmission system, which benefits all customers in all areas.